


Day Fifty-Eight || Human Spirit

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [58]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 23:21:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17949128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: There are few things stronger than the human spirit. And few in their world have to find their strength sooner than children born to prominent  shinobi bloodlines.





	Day Fifty-Eight || Human Spirit

There are few things stronger than the human spirit.

And few in their world have to find their strength sooner than children born to prominent  shinobi bloodlines.

Though no longer quite as vulnerable as their recent ancestors during the Warring States period, those born beneath banners of ninja clans - especially those with powerful reputations - have great expectations thrust upon them from an early age. While clans of Konoha have, for the most part, found a happy medium of pushing their children, but also nurturing them in the new safety of the hidden villages...few take the former to more extremes than the two dōjutsu clans: the Hyūga, and the Uchiha.

The first to have an heir of the most recent generation were the Uchiha: a son, named for the cunning and wily weasel. From an early age, he’d proven to be just that, and more: frighteningly intelligent, mature, and wise for one of his years. Next born was his younger brother, Sasuke. Then the Hyūga had their first: a girl, named Hinata. And like the Uchiha siblings, five years would separate the daughters of the Hyūga.

...unlike the Uchiha, the second child cost the Hyūga their matriarch. The blow was an emotional cripple for Hinata, who’d been far closer with her mother than her father. If anything, it was a signal of what was to come.

A set of boys, and a set of girls: both with relatively large gaps between them. And in yet another opposite reflection, it was the younger Hyūga who proved to overtake the elder. Hinata struggled in her training due to her softer nature, and a massive loss in confidence without her biggest supporter: her mother. And rather than try to bolster her, Hiashi instead tore her down: as though thinking ripping open her wounds would help them heal. Instead, she slowly bled out...until Hanabi - her beloved baby sister - finally bested in what became the deciding match. Hinata was stripped of her title, and practically abandoned.

Her genin instructor had more custody than her own father, in many senses of the word.

In the opposite vein, Sasuke struggled to be noticed. Itachi had Fugaku’s full attention due to his natural ability...and advantage in age. Left to the wayside, a spare, a second thought...Sasuke was made to feel as unneeded as his Hyūga mirror. It was only once Itachi began to distance himself that their father gave Sasuke the time of day.

And Sasuke  _ knew _ why. As proud as he was - as determined - it still stung, knowing this chance came upon him only due to his brother’s apparent malfunction. His beloved brother.

In similar ways, the people they loved most came to take everything from them...but admittedly, one in more extreme measures than the other. Itachi took the clan. Took the family. Took the home. Sasuke was left with nothing but memories and nightmares.

If only they’d had the chance to notice each other...perhaps they could have seen those parallels. Maybe, in some strange way, knowing they weren’t as alone in their circumstances as they felt could have helped them. Sasuke got Naruto, who handled their similarities with rivalry and challenge. It pushed Sasuke, sure...but it wasn’t the support he really needed.

Hinata...had no one. Not until becoming a genin. Her team was a help, as was her sensei. But there was little missing the sting of her family’s absence...or in some cases, hatred. Her idol gave her no time of day, too focused on his so-called best friend.

The person whom she so closely resembled, and yet...in many ways, opposed.

The chūnin exams were exceedingly stressful. Hinata was put face to face with her cousin, who bore a burning hatred for her...and all she represented. That hate nearly killed her...but in the end, she couldn’t blame him. Couldn’t be angry. Still she pushed on, trying so hard to emulate her inspiration...only for him to best what she could not.

Sasuke saw the tests as the next rung on the ladder to his ascension toward revenge. But his too were plagued with challenges beyond the typical: the covetous snake Orochimaru - with a single bite - undid months, if not years of the boy’s progress in regards to overcoming his hate. Instead, it propelled him forward.

By the end, they both knew one thing: they had to get stronger. But how…?

Sasuke took to leaving, and seeking power elsewhere. Hinata sought it at home...from the person who had nearly ended her life. He wanted it for vengeance. She wanted it to grow. As the nearly three years passed, they each did just that.

The time leading up to the fourth war saw them each fight their own battles. By the time it was over...neither was the same. Sasuke, admittedly, more so. His journey had changed him...and in many ways, not for the better. Simply...to survive. Hinata had grown up, but also grown weary. He no longer sought revenge, and she no longer sought her title...nor her idol. Both, instead, contented themselves to guiding what they could not come to lead: Sasuke the village, and Hinata her clan.

And then, only then - after struggling so far apart - did the two finally manage to meet. Two human spirits tested, battered, and nearly broken...so similar, and yet so different. Driven together by both clan circumstances, and mutual affections. With Naruto and Sakura - both giving and receiving silence from the other pair - now a duo, Hinata and Sasuke were often left at the fringe.

And what better to do there but talk in turn?

Between the two forces pushing them together, it was inevitable. Slowly, they opened up to one another. And slowly, they discovered just how close their paths had been. How easily they could have made the same choices in one another’s shoes. And they lamented only knowing this  _ now _ , when it was far too late to give two lonely, struggling children a friend that would have understood.  _ Truly _ understood.

But it  _ does  _ mean they can make up for lost time.

Outside responsibilities and reasons, they begin...running into each other. Talking beyond what’s expected. Even finding themselves in the same line of work as the police are rebuilt and reformed. Acquaintances become partners, partners become friends...and friends become something just a little bit more.

Finally, after losing so much, and being so alone...two souls finally find completing pieces in each other.

**Author's Note:**

> *flops* Welp, another late night, but at least I'm feeling a little better? Aha~
> 
> This is rather...bland, more narrative than a scene or anything...but I'm very tired and a bit museless today so it's the best I can manage. I can go on forever about the parallels between Sasuke and Hinata, and how GOOD they'd be for each other, even if just as friends (which we STILL don't get in canon...I feel so robbed). So, here's me waxing about them and how strong they each had to be: in both similar and different ways.
> 
> Yes, in the long run Sasuke suffered a lot more (imo), but Hinata's struggles are still nothing to sneeze at. A lot more than many other of the Rookie Nine (*coughs* Sakura *coughs*), at any rate.
> 
> But...I'm getting rambly, so best to stop there, aha~ Thanks so much for reading - be back again tomorrow!


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